After Delhi victory, AAP preparing for Haryana polls

CHANDIGARH: After stunning everyone with its performance in Delhi assembly polls, Aam Aadmi Party is now preparing to contest Haryana assembly elections next year. "We have started preparing for the polls, which we will contest independently," AAP Haryana unit spokesperson Rajiv Godara said today. He said that after the party's stunning performance in the Delhi assembly polls, they are confident of a good show in the elections to 90-member Haryana assembly.

In the polls, he said the party will raise the issues of alleged land scams, corruption and poor medical and education facilities in the state. Congress is the ruling party in Haryana while the other major players include Indian National Lok Dal, Haryana Janhit Congress and BJP. However, when asked if the party would also contest on the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana in 2014, Godara said the party's central leadership will take a decision on this.

Asked about reports that AAP has invited senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who was recently chargesheeted by Haryana Government in connection with cancellation of mutation of a land deal involving Robert Vadra and DLF, to lead the party in the state assembly polls, Godara said they would want honest and upright people like him to come forward. "We want people like Ashok Khemka, who are honest and have started a crusade to root out corruption, to come forward. We extend an open invite to him...," he said. When contacted, Khemka, however, said "I refuse to react to this media story".

Godara said that many of the AAP candidates who have won in Delhi assembly polls belong to Haryana, which is bound to have a positive impact on the state polls. Moreover, the party founder, Arvind Kejriwal and national executive member Yogendra Yadav are also from Haryana, he said. He said that AAP has district level committees in place while 13-member state executive committee had also been elected earlier. The process to constitute the Block committees is going on, he informed.